A- Pours deep red with about a finger of caramel-colored head. Nice lacing on the glass.

S- Deep malt scents with some hints of the hops lurking within.

T- The hops hit you first with a nice strong bitterness. But then fades to the rich malts. Citrus earthy hops with slight alcohol finish.

M- Medium bodied with slight oily feel

Drink- Mine was slightly past the sell-by date, but I don't think I was missing much. I found it to be really good overall. Will try again for a fresher batch. Will definitely add to my favorites list.

Pours an amber brown color with a huge head and plenty of lacing. Smell is mostly malt, and some hops noticable in the aroma as it warms up. The taste isn't so malt-forward like the smell, with strong hops bitterness and a little nuttiness. Really nice chewy mouthfeel, and a bitter aftertaste. Great beer!

have had this a few times before and enjoyed it so now am reviewing it. poured from bottle into glass

a- pours a rich dark amber. thick, creamy, tan 2 finger head with nice lacing. half finger head is still left as i finish off the last drops of my glass.

s- rich malt aroma

t- goes down smoothly with more hops flavor than was present in the smell. good balance between malts and fairly bitter hops. not quite as extreme as the name and label would imply, but definitely a solid and delicious beer. would very much like to try the double bastard ale.

m- fairly light carbonation with fine bubbles. can taste the alcohol and has slight alcohol warming effect. overall has great mouth feel.

d- the two glasses worth that comes in a bottle is the perfect amount. not sure i would want more of this than that in one sitting. would gladly drink another.

Presentation:Brown bomber featuring a cocky gargoyle silk screen printed on the front, and some choice words on the back:"This is an aggressive beer. You probably won't like it. It is quite doubtful that you have the taste or sophistication to be able to appreciate an ale of this quality and depth. We would suggest that you stick to safer and more familiar territory -- maybe something with a multi-million dollar ad campaign aimed at convincing you it's made in a little brewery, or one that implies that their tasteless fizzy yellow beer will give you more sex appeal. Perhaps you think multi-million dollar ad campaigns make a beer taste better. Perhaps you're mouthing your words as you read this."

Appearance: A mahogany brown with deep red highlights. The head is small, but as it diminishes it leaves an attractive swirling film on the top.

Taste: Big malty sweetness with prominent caramel notes. caramel, Toasted/roasted flavors hang in the background swathed in a layer of prickly alcohol. The hop profile has a raw, coarse quality to it that's all the more visceral. Finishes with a lingering sweetness, caramel, and grainy, roasted coffee.

Mouthfeel: Medium bodied and very smooth.

Harmony: Wow, I'm very impressed with this brew. It's extraordinarily complex whilst keeping the alcohol in check to maximize drinkability.

At the threshold the marketing for this beer is annoying as hell. But I'll be a good soldier and focus on substance.

Pours a dark amber with a thick off-white head. Aroma is sweet hoppiness. Taste is bready malts up front, hops are predominant (a little surprising in a beer this dark) but the balance is nice if decidedly hoppy. Frankly, this is an overflavored beer. That said, the flavors are nice, such as they are, there's no subtlety possible here--it's massive malts and more massive hops. One of these is fine, thanks very much, but it's nice just like a Spanish coffee from time to time.

pours a cloudy brown copper color with average off white head and good lacing that recedes at an average rate. soft carbonation and a harsh piney hop smell. bread like malt flavor that is moderately bitterand a little tart. medium body with a tart bitter finish. slick texture that goes down smooth. dollar for dollar probably one of the best brews out there. if you have any doubt hit up "jrish" and i'm sure he can persuade you.

I have to admit, I'm simultaneously nervous and excited about this one. When the label says "You're not worthy" with a bombastic-looking demon holding an overflowing mug, and the bottle cap says "Hated by many; Loved by few", I take that as a challenge, and I never back down from a challenge (unless it involves decapitation or rabid farm animals).

Poured from a 22oz bottle into a traditional glass. No freshness date provided.

Appearance- 4 out of 5. Well, with its almost opaque-brown darkness and ruby hue when held up to the light, it definitely looks demonic. The head is brownish-tan and strong but not overly large. A few swirls around the glass leave nice lacing on the side, and the carbonation bubbles erupt from the bottom with an unnatural vigor that soon subsides, as does the head.

Smell- 5 out of 5. As soon as I cracked open the bottle, before even pouring it, the smell of this beer intrigued me immensely. The bitter hops are coarse but strong, as are the toasted grains from the malt. It's hard to tell exactly what the malt reminds me of, but I'd have to venture caramel as my guess. There is a strong smell of citrus, which is surprising considering how dark the beer is. I also detect green apple and pine. This beer wasn't lying about being aggressive. It smells incredible.

Taste- 4.5 out of 5. It tastes incredible as well. Those "many" who the bottle cap claims hate this beer must have had their tongues cut out (or must have been incorrigible drinkers of Bud Light with no taste for quality beer). The initial taste is toasted caramel malt sweetness and tart citrus on the tongue, followed almost instantaneously by tart apple and smooth chocolate. The finishing note is full of powerfully bitter hops, yet all of the taste continue to mingle on the tongue long after swallowing. I lost track of the alcohol in the cacophonous wave of flavors. It's one hell of a strange combination, but by god, it works.

Mouthfeel- 4 out of 5. Solidly medium, crisp upon entering, wet upon swallowing.

Drinkability- 4.5 out of 5. This stuff is amazing. It has every right to be arrogant. With its complexity and wild flavor, I'm honestly surprised they pulled this off-- surprised and pleased. At $4.49 for a 22oz bottle, it's a damned good deal for a beer of this caliber. It's good enough to make a session out of, but take it slow; a beer like this needs to be enjoyed.

I've been meaning to review this one for a while, since it's another mainstay for me.

Arrogant Bastard is aggressive, though it's certainly not the most arrogant beer out there. It succeeds by balancing exaggerated hop intensity with a well-rounded roast of caramel malts and sweet fruity pine flavor. It's a beer made for arrogant bastards like us who idolize high-alcohol hop monsters. Not that this is meant to be a monster in itself, that task can be left to Stone's more specialized projects, like Vertical Epic and Ruination. Arrogant Bastard is just a wholesome little pale ale on crack and PCP. Innocent deep down, but wild and out of control on top.

Ok, enough abstraction. It has a strong maroon color, red bleeding into brown and black. Pours beautifully, with a nice thick tan head and subtle lacing. The scent is lush - it smells like a caramel rainforest. Taste is similar - thick, rich caramel lurks under a barrage of hyperactive hops, which dance across the tongue sparkling with crisp sweet floral flavors. Again, caramel rainforest pretty much sums it up. Mouthfeel is acrid and complex, which turns off a lot of people, though I personally love it.

&Great Beer But holy crap the size of the bottle! I was a few beers in decided to have just one more & want to try another new beer. So I ordered an Arrogant Bastard & the Beastly Beer came in a 1 pint 6 oz bottle.

I wasn't sold on the marketing on the bottle, It's just some winged demon, But I was impressed by the size. The smell was somewhat hoppy but not too over powering.

The color was A nice dark carmel beer pouring into my mug with a lot of head. A great flavor with a good portion of hops to start out then blending into a sweet fruity carmel flavor. A top 10 beer on my list.

A: Dark shade of brown with a substantial head that leaves beautiful lacing on the glass

S: Carmel, biscuit, citrusy hops. Intense smell.

T/M: Really hoppy to start but finishes with a delicious carmel sweetness. Wow, I'm kind of blown away by this beer. The hop bite is substantial- resiny bitterness abounds, but this is balanced with an impressive malt profile. Thick, complex mouthfeel that really allows the complexity of this brew to shine. A bit of an alcohol warming, but the ABV is concealed rather well with all of the other flavors.

D: This is one of the best beers I've ever had, and if Stone distributed to Missouri, a beer that would regularly be in my fridge. Extremely complex and delicious.

Taste: Roasted, burnt carmelly malts up front with bitterness at the end. There's also sweetness at the end as well. It isn't too bitter though, I think it very balanced. You can detect the alcohol a little, but it's in no way overpowering or 'too much'.

Notes: I think this is a really great beer, but I split a bomber with two other people and feel like I've gotten my fill. This is definitely something I would seek out again, but not something I would drink in large quantities.

First of all, let me say that I love this bottle. I wonder how many people have actually been alienated by the whole "You probably don't want this" paragraph on the back. Hilarious! Now that I've gotten that out of the way, the review!

A - Pours a color that looks like cherry-wood. Very pretty, and with a 1-finger head the shade of light tan? Please... From the others I've had by Stone, I can say that they make very pretty beers, and this is no different. Great clarity, carbonation, and with good lacing too! Excellent all around.

S - Spruce and hoppiness. Very powerful, really. Apple-like quality to the hops as well, along side with a very slight hint at maltiness. Really quite pleasant.

T - Very aggressive, as I'd expect. Hops to the max all around. There's a sort acidic sourness to it, and that makes a really rough one to drink (though not bad!). Very bitter on the back end. Good overall.

M - Light-bodied and with sparkling carbonation. Feels good on the tongue, and finishes just a smidgen dry. Not surprising considering the hop quality.

D - On one hand, it isn't powerfully alcoholic nor is it too expensive. It is very bitter, though, and it is a rough drinking beer. I'll come back to it, but probably not in the same night.

Overall/notes - Another really good beer from a really good brewery. I actually had this once long ago, before I had any IPAs that I enjoyed, and was put off by it. This go-round was much more pleasant. In fact, I can say that I thoroughly enjoyed drinking this beer. I guess I'm an arrogant bastard after all.

SMELL: Rich smelling, but light and quick. Sweet caramel malts up front blending so well with bright hops that you can't dissect the two apart. Some dark fruit like prunes and brown sugar.

TASTE: Just like the aroma - an intense blending of bright hops and rich, sweet caramel. They dance back and forth together in a complex, bitter, and entertaining way. Finishes appropriately quickly in a luscious way that demands another sip.

How has it taken me so long to review this bastard? It pours a translucent dark tawny brown, capped by a finger or so of ecru foam. The nose comprises a good amount of citrus, grapefruity, and piney hops backed by a strong backbone of solid caramel. The taste holds similar characteristics, though all elements are taken to a higher level: hops are large, the maltiness is large...maybe I'm not worthy after all, as I'm not sure how else to describe this flavor combination. The body is a hefty medium, with a moderate carbonation and a smooth feel. Overall, a beast, yes, but not as beastly as it would have me (or you) believe.

The arrogant bastard is an all around great beer. It is well balanced with plenty of hops for bittering, yet a lot of malt to balance it all out. The mouth feel is right on par and is not anything close to a pale or "yellow fizzy beer."

It is not particularly drinkable because of its strong character. It is however, a nice beer to split amongst friends whilst BS ing.

The arrogant bastard is just what you would expect from Stone. A good go-to beer when you need one, the AB will never let you down.

A: Pours a deep rubyish brown with a huge, persistent (and I do mean persistent; I couldn't wait and drank some of the foam!) off-white head that fades with good lacing.

S: The hop aroma hits your nose during the pour. It's a bracing fresh citrus hop smell, with just a hint of the underlying malt.

T: To me, this tastes very similar to Yakima Twilight, so let me reiterate what I said there: The hops kiss your tongue all the way on this one. The initial taste is a bracing hop bitterness, with the hop overtones kicking in in the middle. The finish is rather bitter, which renders it rather different from, say, a 90-minute IPA. Personally, I'd like a bit more malt backbone, but I'm not complaining.

M: Medium to full body with lots of happy bubbles.

D: Although I said above that I find the taste similar to Yakima Twilight, Arrogant Bastard is more drinkable due to the lower ABV. Now I must try the various aged versions...

Taste - A smooth bitter taste. Its interesting how the farther down the glass I got the less bitter the beer was and the more malty it became and then the last sip was bitter once again. It was really interesting.

Mouthfeel - Quite refreshing and smooth with medium carbination

Drinkability - Its the perfect beer to get home from a long day at work and to just sit in your lazy boy recliner and relax.

Tried this a few years ago before drinking microbrews and knew I wasn't worthy. This time around I was a much better match for the bastard.

A- Nice dark pour with light creamy headS- Could smell the caramel malts very wellT- Good heavy taste. Bitter but good balance of malts.D- Surprisingly goes down rather smooth with a little bite to it.

Never cared to much for the darker strong ales, but this one I liked a lot. Could easily see picking up a bottle or two with friends. Great beer, especially for the price of it.